A Tale of Two Edwards: Moving Forwards & Backwards
by xshear
Summary: Sequel to, 'A Tale of Two Edwards'.
1. Summary

'A Tale of Two Edwards: Moving Forwards & Backwards'

Spinsterhood bounded Bella Swan has finally found the love of her life, Edward William Cullen. Both are committed to making their new-found relationship work, but exactly how much are they willing to give when certain situations threaten to tear them apart?

Meanwhile, playboy Edward James Masen has finally found hope within his pathetic love life when an old flame reappears. But, how much is he really willing to sacrifice for his first love? And how much is his first love really over her troubled past?

Only time, trust and true love will tell. This simply is a story of four people who are trying to find and keep what everyone desires – their true love.

PLEASE READ:

THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO OUR FIRST STORY, 'A TALE OF TWO EDWARDS'. PLEASE READ THAT ONE PRIOR TO READING THIS ONE OR ELSE, YOU'LL BE COMPLETELY CONFUSED.

**We own nothing. Absoultely nothing. :)**

To our constant fans of this series and to our other stories... you're fucking amazing and all deserve to ravish rpatz in a dark corner. ;)


	2. Six Months Later

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

K - So here it is, the story we have been working on! The sequel we hope you like as much as the first part. Thanks for everyone's support! We love y'all and we hope you like this.

B – OMG, OMG, OMG! Your eyes DO NOT DECIEVE YOU! Welcome friends, to the sequel of 'A Tale of Two Edwards'. Here, you will get re-acquainted with old friends (Bella, Masen, and Cullen) as well as some awesome new ones! We must thank each and every one of you for your undying patience and also for those who bugged the hell out of us (Jennmc). We love you all. Masen and Cullen have missed you and await you with chapter one. Warning: This chapter contains major fluff and fucking. ;)

Karla… you are the Cullen/Bella to my Masen/Tanya. What would I do without you?

**Masen POV**

Groaning in sleepy annoyance, I turned my naked body away from the obnoxious sunlight that was currently piercing through my oversized bay window; with the sun out of my line of sight, I sighed in relaxation and let myself fall into a peace sleep once more. That, however, was interrupted once again when I felt a slight movement from the other side of the bed. I smiled.

Greedily wrapping my arm around the woman's petite waist, I pulled her thin frame against mine and nuzzled my nose into her neck. Taking a deep breath, I relished in her scent of vanilla and sweet musk, pure fucking heaven.

"Morning, Edward," the woman's sleep-laced voice chimed.

"Hello, love," I responded, my lips kissing the luxurious curve of her neck. I could feel her lips curve up into a smile, even though her back was turned to me. That thought made me insanely happy.

_God, I'm still a pussy._

Absentmindedly, I ran the pads of my fingers down the length of her long back, taking pleasure in how soft her skin was. My eyes closed softly, my mind and body relaxing in the peaceful moment. However, a soft moan from the woman broke me out of my relaxation.

"Edward, if you keep doing that, you're going to make us late for work." I chuckled merrily. I was glad to see that after all these years I still had that sort of effect on her.

"And that would be a problem because…?" I asked innocently.

"Because I am never late for work, James."

"Never, Tanya?" I asked teasingly, slipping my eager fingers in between the apex of her long legs; I groaned, pressing my hardening body into hers – she was already wet.

"Ah…" she whimpered, grinding herself against my fingers. Her hips thrust softly, my fingers meeting her eager clit. However, as soon as everything started – it ended. I felt Tanya's hand rest on top of mine, stopping my movements. Roughly, she pushed my hand away from her body; I think I pouted.

"Never, James," she said firmly. I just chuckled and rolled onto my back, letting my hands rest behind my head.

"Oh, come on, Tanya, weren't you the one that literally begged to come home with me last night?" Tanya rolled her eyes and huffed, throwing my luxurious sheets off her gloriously naked body.

"I only came home with you, James, because I was completely drunk," she retorted, rising from the bed. I quirked an eyebrow, challenging her, I knew that she was completely bullshitting me.

"Oh really?" I taunted, watching her. Tanya stood defiant, turning her naked form to face me.

"Yes, _really_," she snapped, emphasizing on the 'really' bit.

I smiled crookedly as I propped myself up on one elbow. I studied her for a moment - her voice spoke of defiance but her body language said it all – she. wanted. it. Cockily, I got up from the bed, letting the sheets slide off my naked body. Walking towards her, I stood in front of her, letting my hands rest on her womanly hips.

"So, if I can remember correctly," I said my head bent down, taking in her naked form, "you're not the one who said, 'please, take me home, Edward' last night? That wasn't you, right?"

Tanya's arms were now crossed over her luscious tits, avoided my gaze as I tilted my head upwards.

"Maybe," she shrugged, nonchalantly, her head turned off towards the side. "But, I didn't mean it. It was the wine asking." Trailing my fingers upwards, I tangled them within her lush, golden tresses; Tanya moaned softly.

"Ah, so it was the wine who asked to come home with me, then?" I asked, my fingers tracing down her delicate neck. My lips made contact with the soft curve of her neck, sucking gently on her sweet skin. Tanya tilted her head and opened her lips to let another soft moan escape.

"Completely," She said breathlessly. I chuckled, continuing my subtle assault. I knew that it would only be seconds until Tanya fucking lost it.

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

Eagerly, Tanya's hands grabbed, twisted, and pulled at my ever messy, bronzed hair – not that I minded. Her lips battled with mine – her tongue soft against my own. I responded promptly, my elegant hands squeezing her shapely hips, my hard dick pressing into her soft, flat belly. My hands impatiently slid from her hips to her backside, grabbing it roughly and pulling her even closer to my needing body.

"Love… please," I begged in between the feverish kisses. Tanya responded to my begging by biting down on my lower lip and broke out of my embrace. I was literally about to plead with her when she walked over to the bed, leaned over the edge, and spread her glorious self for me.

"Make it quick, Edward. I need to be at the gallery in thirty."

I groaned in pure fucking pleasure. I forgot how much of a fuck goddess this woman was.

_Dear fucking bloody Christ, I think I'm in love all over again._

"Fuck, Tanya. You just saying that makes me want to come." Tanya threw her head back and laughed joyfully. I basically skipped over to my plush bed and leaned down to kiss her pale shoulder. Lovingly, I glided my hand down her long back to her ass - I grabbed it roughly and at the same time I quickly thrust into her. We both moaned in pure-fucking-ecstasy.

"Oh, Edward…"

Wrapping my hands tightly around her hips, I began to move expertly, impatiently. Her delightful moans echoed my own - my fingertips digging deeper and deeper into her creamy skin, our bodies thrusting against one another.

"Fuck, Love… you feel insanely incredible." I panted, my movements becoming quicker – more eager. A glimmering sheen broke out across my skin, breaking out on my body. It wasn't long before my own passion overtook my body, a satisfied moan escaping from my parched lips. Tanya with her musical groans filling the room – tossed her blonde waves over her shoulder and parted her lips – her trembling words pouring out of her luscious mouth.

"Oh, James… yes… yes…" she breathily moaned, her orgasm hitting her with pleasure-filled force. I smiled pleasantly as I leaned down to kiss the soft skin of her arse cheek.

"So, was that as good for you as it was for me, love?" I asked playfully. Tanya lifted her body from the bed, turned around, and shrugged her narrow shoulders.

"It'll do," she simply stated.

I huffed and rolled my eyes. "Why do you always feel the need to take me down a notch?"

"Well, if I don't… who will?"

_Bella always did. _My inner voice taunted.

"James?" Tanya asked, stepping closer to me.

I shook my head out of my thoughts. I promised myself that I would stop thinking of _her -_for me, for Tanya.

I reached for the woman in front of me. Grabbing her hand, I kissed her pale skin softly. "Only you, love."

Tanya gave me an inquisitive look, but shrugged it off nonetheless. Leaning forward, she placed her soft lips upon my own. "Edward, we need to get ready, sweetheart."

I nodded, squeezing her hand and letting it fall. Tanya walked towards the other side of the room where her clothes were hung in the closet – God forbid they were to ever get a wrinkle on them.

Watching Tanya get dressed – her slip perfectly sliding over her pale skin, her breasts outlining the fabric perfectly; next was her dress – it was of a pale yellow and was made out of the finest silk – Tanya never had less. Throwing on her favorite cashmere cream cardigan, she completed her look. My heart leaped to my throat – she was absolutely breathtaking.

"James?" Tanya asked – she must have seen me watching her.

"I've… I've forgot how exquisite you are, Tanya."

Tanya's cheeks reddened slightly – an unlikely trait for her. Twisting up her hair, Tanya stepped toward me, taking my hand within hers.

"I know this is new, James. But, I want to be with you… I'm just…" she started her bottom pink lip in between her teeth.

"Just what?" I pressed.

"Hesitant," she sighed.

I nodded. I knew what – or more importantly who - she was talking about… the one woman whom she believe my heart still slightly ached for.

I grabbed her dainty hand, kissing her inner wrist. "I want you, Tanya; no one else."

She smiled, placing her hands upon my cheeks and sighed softly. "Dinner tonight?" she asked, her voice soothing me.

"Of course… although, if you're going to blame the wine again…" I said, playfully teasing. Tanya laughed merrily.

"Oh, James, I'm so glad that we've found one another again." I echoed her laugh and wrapped her petite body in my embrace.

"Me too, love… me too."

**Bella POV **

"Darling…"

I smiled - ignoring the soothing, velvety voice that called me. Snuggling closer to my pillow, I hugged the covers tightly over my naked body; it was too early to wake up.

"Bella," Cullen whispered again. This time I felt the bed dip with his weight and sighed contently when his strong arms pulled me to him - pressing my bare back to his chest.

Still somewhat asleep, I easily relaxed against him, enjoying our closeness. We had come a long way, even if it had only been six months since I had finally admitted to myself that William was the man I've had always wanted.

I knew now, more than ever, that I had made the right choice. Our relationship was not easy, more often than not; we clashed on very simple matters - what movie to watch on a weekend, who were we going to vote for, how we should discipline E.J., if I was allowed to change the style for the bedroom…

_Yeah, still need to win that one. _

_--Come on, Swan, you know he'll never allow you to replace his Egyptian cotton sheets for your simple pink ones. _

_Well… we'll just see about that. _

I held back a smile as I reminisced on that particular discussion and how I planned to finally win it. Just the fact that I had a say on how to decorate his… _our_pristine room was enough to make me giddy as hell.

Yes, ladies and gentleman - I, Bella Marie Swan, once tragic spinster and spokeswoman for how to fuck up one's life, have been in a stable relationship for six months. Not only that, but we had taken a huge leap and moved in together. A part of me still couldn't believe it… I had moved in with him, my gorgeous, Adonis-of-a-boyfriend, Edward William Cullen.

In a nutshell, life couldn't get any better. The sex was as amazing as the first time, our connection even deeper now that our relationship was official. Despite our obvious differences in personality, I liked to think that we complemented one another's quirks. Sure, I still had trouble staying away from my nicotine fixes and opinionated outbursts; Cullen was still an anal bastard who thought he was better than everyone else but in the end we still loved each other passionately.

I was finally living my happy ending and every moment was as good as the previous one – I couldn't have been happier.

"Isabella!" Cullen growled, trying once again to get my attention. I sighed heavily.

_Then again, life would be a little better if he let you sleep in once in a while. _

_--I won't argue with you there. _

I continued to ignore him, trying my best to drift back to the amazing sleep session that was currently being interrupted. Cullen sighed behind me, pressing a light kiss on the top of my head. Sneaking a hand under the covers he trailed his fingers over my waist -his light touch waking me up slightly, sending goose bumps over my flesh.

"Bella," he whispered, moving the curtain of hair and kissing the nape of my neck lightly. I shivered involuntarily.

_Now, this is the way to wake up. _

"Hmm?" I replied sleepily - his hand went back to my waist.

He chuckled behind me. "You'll be late again, darling." He kissed his way from my neck to my ear. "You made me promise to wake you up on time today," he murmured, biting my earlobe.

I gasped as the sensation sent a shock straight to my center. "I did?"

"Yes, I also set the alarm clock before I left for my morning run with E.J., but I guess you took care of that too," he remarked. I felt him motion towards the floor next to the bed where I had carelessly thrown the offending object.

_Fucking alarm clock. _

I turned in his arms and snuggled up to his chest, pouting my lips as I buried my face in the crook of his neck. "Too early…" I mumbled, "It's your own fault anyways, you kept me up last night." I tried to hide the smirk on my lips as I remembered exactly why we went to bed late.

"Yes, if I remember correctly, I told you that you wouldn't wake up on time… and that's when you made me promise to wake you up."

_Damn him and his good memory. _

"You didn't complain last night," I grumbled, my eyes still closed.

Cullen laughed and shook his head. "Oh, no, darling, you'll never hear me complain when I have you in bed," he replied, his hand moving suggestively down my back.

I couldn't contain myself. Knowing I would be unable to go back to sleep, I started placing soft kisses on his neck; he moaned, pulling me tighter against him. My hands moved over his clothed chest - his shirt was slightly damp from his morning run. A light sheen of sweet covered his body; for some reason it made me incredibly hot.

"Join me in the shower?" he moaned, cupping my naked breast; his fingers traced my pebbled peaks.

I smiled against his skin, dipping my hand under his sweatpants. I grasped his already hard cock and traced my fingers over his warm, soft skin. "Is this just a plan to get me out of bed?" I taunted, using my forefinger to circle the head of his member.

Cullen flinched, then shivered when I applied just a little more pressure on him, but he quickly responded, "Just keeping my promise."

_Smartass. _

I sighed dramatically taking my hand off him. Grasping the back of his head I pulled him in for a chaste kiss. "I'll wait here. Let me know when the shower is ready," I said flipping over and pulling the covers up to my neck. I tried to stifle a giggle.

I could feel his shocked gaze, however, he simply relented. Getting up from the bed and heading to the bathroom, he replied, "You'll pay for that later, darling."

_Can't wait. _I thought to myself as I settled to enjoy the last few second before joining him in the shower.

What I did not anticipate, however, was the sudden entrance of my now huge - and completely hyperactive - Labrador. As soon as Cullen turned on the shower, I heard E.J. run towards the main bedroom. Before I could move out of the way, the door flew open and fifty pounds of dog jumped on top of the bed and crushed me.

"E.J., no!" I tried to say with authority, but failed miserably since E.J. was obviously very happy to see me awake. He kept trying to lick my face.

I tried to sit up and push him off the bed, but was unsuccessful. I kept trying to get the dog off the bed while simultaneously trying to keep a hold of the sheet close to my chest causing my body to scoot closer and closer to the edge of the bed. I didn't realize I was about to fall over the edge of the bed.

"Edward Junior, stop this instant!" I practically screamed. Immediately, E.J. stopped. He knew he was in big trouble when I used his full name. However, before I knew it my ass collided with the floor causing a loud thump and I knew I would be bruised by the end of the day.

"Argh!" I grunted looking up to see a sheepish E.J. look down at me from on top of the bed. He made a move to come down towards me but I stopped him with a glare.

"Don't you dare, Edward!" I seethed.

"What did I do now?" Cullen asked. I glanced back to see him leaning against the bathroom door, his features amused - his naked torso on full display.

"He attacked me! I've told you not to leave the bedroom door open, William! He always does that," I grumbled, trying to stand up; which was hard considering the bed sheet was still wrapped around me.

Cullen, who was soon by my side, pulled me up and gently set me on my two feet, "Bella, he's just a dog, I don't think E.J. pushed you over the bed."

"Your right, he didn't. But my ass wouldn't be hurting if you'd closed the door when you came in!" I said defiantly. Glaring at him, I turned to walk towards the bathroom, wanting to get the last word in.

However, clumsy me, did not see the unpacked box in the middle of room. By the time I realized the offending thing was there, it was too late. I tried to avoid hitting it entirely, but I wasn't fast enough and the edge of the damn box ended up hitting my little toe.

"Fucking shit!" I yelled, hopping in one place, tears involuntarily falling from my eyes.

Closing my eyes, I bit my tongue to keep me from saying any more colorful words when I felt two strong arms lift me up. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around Cullen's neck and tried my best to ignore the throbbing pain on my toe.

After Cullen set me down on the sink, I carefully opened my eyes and saw that he was kneeling before me, his hands softly examining the injury. My heart swelled at his concern, but of course it didn't take long for his know-it-all smirk to show up.

I rolled my eyes. "Just say it," I huffed, crossing my arms in annoyance.

"I'm not saying anything," Cullen replied nonchalantly, setting my foot down. Edward then ran his hands gently over my ankles, my calves, my thighs…

I was momentarily distracted when they went up higher and higher up my thigh and under the sheet that was still carelessly wrapped around my body.

"Come on," I whispered, "You're probably dying to say, 'This is why I told you we needed to unpack your boxes right away,'" I said, trying my best to do an imitation of his stern voice.

Although, I must admit… it was really hard to concentrate, when his hands reached my hips and pulled me to the edge of the countertop. I moaned involuntarily.

"Well," he drawled, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on my bare knee. "I did say that." Cullen pulled back and I saw as his shy smirk turn into a full evil one.

I would've been annoyed if I wasn't so turned on. "So you're glad I got hurt then?" I asked, feigning anger.

Cullen shook his head. "No, no. Darling, of course not," he replied, his hands tracing slowly from my hips, down my thighs and resting on top of my knees. "In fact, I hate seeing you hurt. Why don't you let me make you feel better?"

Without waiting for a response, Cullen gently pushed my legs open. I gasped in anticipation. Shivering as he opened me for him, he slowly kissed the inside of my thighs until he reached my wet center.

I bit my lip so hard when his tongue finally circled my clit, I'm sure that I drew a little blood but I didn't care, the pleasure was immense. Soft moans left my mouth as I arched my back, making sure I was pressed completely into his willing mouth. My body having a mind of its own, and I actually didn't realize how my hips rotated in time with his tongue until his strong hands pressed on my hips, willing them into submission.

The steam from the hot water did nothing to help quell the heat within me. Craving more, I lifted my hands from the counter and cupped my tits; pinching my nipples I helped my body give in to my building orgasm.

Looking down, I saw the wonderful sight of Cullen's hazel eyes looking up at me, his gaze hungry with possessiveness. I knew he was enjoying watching me pleasure myself. Suddenly, he grazed his teeth against my sensitive bud and everything shattered around me.

I had a mind to be half embarrassed of my loud moans as I felt the blush creep up my skin. I heard Cullen chuckle and kiss his way up to my neck, my limp body letting him do whatever he wanted.

"Feel better, darling?" he asked smirking before pressing his luscious lips to mine.

The kiss was hungry and passionate. All the teasing and joking aside, I knew that I needed _him_. My hands gently massaged his toned chest and back, my nails trailing with just enough pressure to cause a little pain – which I knew, drove him wild. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I knew he couldn't resist.

"Just take me," I pleaded, grinding my hips over his bulging cock. Edward snapped. I could practically taste his desperation, his desire to bury himself within me. Nothing made me feel sexier than to hear the deep groans emanating from him.

His hands stopped my hips once more, begging me to take it slower – for his sake. I abruptly stopped the kiss, leaned over to his ear and whispered huskily, "Edward, please."

Cullen said nothing; cupping my ass, he lifted me from the sink, letting the thin bed sheet fall lazily to the floor. I wrapped my arms around his neck and bit his earlobe lightly, coaxing him into giving me what I wanted – what I needed.

I rubbed myself over his cock once more, moaning when my throbbing pussy felt the harsh nylon of his sweats. "Take them off," I growled, becoming impatient.

"I will… soon," he said, amused.

Cullen strode over to the shower door; I could feel the steam beginning to caress my naked skin. Opening the glass door, Edward set me down in front of it.

"After you, beautiful," Cullen smirked, his hands moved from my ass to the underside of my breasts, his thumbs grazing my pebbled nipples.

"Was this all I trick to get me out of bed?" I can't help but resist, biting my lip to stifle a moan.

"The shower can be just as interesting as the bed, Bella." He taunted.

"Promise to make it worth my while?" I asked teasingly, closing my eyes to the blissfulness feeling of his hands.

I felt, rather than saw, Cullen leaning down next to my ear. "Always," he whispered.

Giving him a light peck, I carefully stepped into the shower. I looked back at him and smiled playfully, beckoning him to join me. Not taking my eyes off him, I stepped into the pleasantly hot water, letting the multiple jets massage my back. I couldn't help but tease my nipples as the hot water cascaded down them. Edward wasted no time yanking his annoying nylon pants off, along with his boxers, his hard cock in need of dire attention.

I licked my lips - careful not to break our gaze. Edward's eyes turn to a dark, piercing hazel, making me feel like he was the predator and I was his prey. He stepped into the shower, quickly pressing his chest against mine and moved his hands to cup my face. I bit my lip once more to keep myself from moaning like some lust-craved woman. I was powerless, however, when his left thumb moved over my cheek and grazed my lips.

Unable to resist, I slowly sneaked my tongue out of brush the tip of his thumb. His eyes darkened even more so as he slowly pushed him thumb pass my lips and inside my mouth; I immediately teased him - grazing his skin with my teeth and sucking it without hurry, suggestively telling him I wish it was a different part of his anatomy.

I felt his cock twitch at our little game and press right into my belly. Knowing that we had played this game long enough, I released him with a soft 'pop'. Edward groaned, took my head between his hands and kissed me feverishly.

"No more games, Bella, I need to be inside you," he murmured in between kisses.

I nodded, very aware that I was about to explode from all the anticipation as well. Edward quickly took advantage of my acceptance and turned me around by grabbing my arms and facing me away from the water. He then bent me over lightly, and placed my hands on opposite wall.

"Stay," he commanded, making me pant and quiver.

He roughly opened my legs with his, making sure he could fit between them and grabbed my hips so I wouldn't fall. Without any hesitation, he positioned himself at my entrance and gave a forceful push.

"Ah," I yelled, not out of pain, but of pure raw pleasure. I absolutely fucking loved it when Edward took control over me.

"Oh, Bella," he whispered reverently, more like a harsh breath than his actual voice, still I heard him.

I moved against him, desperately trying to gyrate my hips to get some kind of friction but Cullen denied me. Snaking an arm around my hips he kept me still; his right hand reached over and intertwined itself with mine. Keeping our hands pressed against the wall limited my movements, but the connection of our fingers showed me how much he loved me.

"Shh, my darling, I said I'll make it worth your while," he murmured, his chest lightly pressed against my back. He kissed my shoulder blade and started thrusting his hips with mine.

I was lost to all sensation except that of him, pounding in and out of me, bringing me close and closer to the bliss he always gave me. Our combined moans were enough to fill the whole bathroom and perhaps the house, but I was too far gone to care.

"Oh, God, I love you," Edward grunted, his rhythm growing faster.

"I love you;" I managed to whimper, "so fucking much."

Edward let go of my hand and grasped my hips fully, pressing me harder against him. I kept my hold on the wall, allowing myself to take whatever he gave me.

"I…" I moaned, "I.. I'm cumming," I yelled, finally feeling my muscles clench him – a blissful shudder swept through my body.

Edward groaned and pushed himself into me one last time before releasing his own orgasm. I could feel his cock twitching inside me and for some reason it made feel powerful, like I had claimed him as my own.

When we finally came down from our high, Edward released my hips and pulled out of me. I whimpered slightly as he trailed his hands over my waist and pulled me close to him. I was so spent - Edward was practically holding me up. He leaned down and kissed my neck.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, sweetly kissing my cheek.

I couldn't help but giggle, "Better than okay."

Cullen chucked behind me, and I did the same. We spent the rest of the shower playfully washing ourselves and sneaking in some light touches and sweet kisses. We stepped out of the shower once we ran out of hot water and Cullen insisted we needed to get ready for work.

I think I pouted when Cullen wrapped a towel over his hips and tried to resist the urge to jump on him and remove it, so I decided to venture on to our room and leave him to shave in peace. Wrapping my own towel around myself I made my way to the doorway when I felt him pick me up and throw me over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?!" I shrieked.

"You were about to run into another box," he laughed setting me down on the bed, and lying beside me.

Annoyed I stared at him, and then down to the floor where I saw the box he was referring too. I blushed when I realized the most probable scenario was that my foot would've collided with it again.

Before I could deny the obvious accusation, Cullen spoke up, "Why don't we order some pizza tonight and make a date to put away all these."

"You're going to boss me around?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Cullen rolled his eyes. "No, I wont," he replied, taking a strand of my wet hair and twirling it on his fingers.

I smiled. "Ok then, tonight. Pizza and putting away boxes… Just you and I," I asked, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively.

Cullen laughed and leaned down to kiss me softly, "Yes, just you and I."

**END NOTES**

K- Getting back in Bella's POV was frightening and exciting at the same time. Hope we made it justice. Please let us know what you think.. remember the first chapter is just setting the tone..... one of these four characters is bound to mess up sometime...

B – TADA! Well, was it worth the wait? We like to think so. Is everyone still on the same excitement level as us for this story to pan out? K's nervous as hell to hear what you think – let's show her some love and support! Thank you to all – we can't ever say that enough. We do this all for you.


	3. Bella Swan: Version Two

B - Wow, twelve pages in one day! Does that make me awesome? Bahaha. I am so, so sorry that this took SO long! Chemistry (the bane of my exsistance) has been taking my time and I hate it for that. Anyways, we love this chapter and we hope you do as well!!

Oh - and Edward quoting Shakespeare? FUCKMETHANKYOUEDWARD. xD

Karla, what would I do without you? I don't want to find out. Love you!

K - Ok guys really nothing to say right now! Just that this chapter is awesome! Lol, please tell us what u think!

Becca, you know I love you, bitch!

Man, we owe big, big thanks to Mellissa and Starla for their amazing beta skillz. You guys rock my socks on a daily basis. WE LOVE YOU.

We don't own anything, unfortunatly. Fucking sucks. :D

* * *

**Tanya POV**

"Love, are you ready?" I heard Masen's faint British voice ask softly from the bedroom. A soft smile appeared on my perfectly ruby colored lips.

"Yes, James," I answered back as I took one last glance at my appearance in the mirror.

In the field of Art – image was everything – literally. The yellow silk of my dress not only looked amazing against my slightly tanned skin, but it _felt_ amazing. The creamy pale, off white cardigan was soft and cozy against my bare shoulders, covering the deep open 'v' back of the otherwise subdued dress. With my hair strategically coifed – straight and pulled back into a ponytail – I looked perfect.

_Perfect, perfect, perfect._

That's how everything was, how it was suppose to be.

But, I didn't need to be perfect for him - for Edward. He'd always let me be myself – perfect, silly, horny, whatever I felt like; and for that, he was simply amazing.

"Love, I know you need your time, but…" Edward said, stopping in front of the bathroom door way, his lean frame being held up by the doorway. I turned my body towards him.

"Yes?" I asked curiously. His famous lopsided grin greeted my question.

"Tanya, I will never…" he said, walking to me, wrapping his arms around my small frame; I giggled like a 12 year old girl in heat.

"Never…never…" he continued, beginning to place kisses along various parts of my exposed skin. A soft moan passed through my painted lips.

"Mmm…"

"…and I mean never underestimate how incredibly gorgeous you are."

I sighed happily at Edward's loving, caressing words. "Oh, James," I replied breathily, my eager hands busily roaming his toned form underneath the luxurious fabric of his suit. Masen groaned, his teeth nipping at various places on my neck, his dick becoming more prominent through the soft fabric of his pants. I pushed my body forward, pressing myself into him. Masen groaned loudly, pulling his lips from my neck.

"Sweetheart?" I asked softly, wondering why the hell he stopped – my body was throbbing, needing his touch, his caresses. Masen smiled, leaned back and placed a chaste kiss to my forehead.

"We need to go; we're going to be late for work. And if I recall correctly, you are _never_ late for work," he said, smiling cheekily.

I playfully pinched his toned butt. "You're horrible, James."

"Oh, you love it," he retorted as he grabbed my hand, kissing it softly.

"Come on, Love." Following Edward, I hastily grabbed my purse as Masen held the door open for me.

"After you ma petite," I raised an eyebrow.

"French, Edward?" Shrugging as he locked the door, he offered his arm to me. "Je ne peux pas attendre pour vous mettre dans mon lit, et complètement nue."

Dear God. I knew enough French that the phrase included the words, 'bed' and 'naked'. I squeezed his arm tightly.

Masen cleared his throat, "There are many new things that I have learned in the past few years, Tanya."

I raised my eyebrows at the seductive tone within his voice. "Oh… And will I get to see any of these new things?"

James laughed as we walked down the busy sidewalk of New York. "Perhaps," he said, leaning down, his breath slightly hot on the sensitive skin of my ear, "If you plan on coming over tonight, wearing absolutely nothing under that bloody coat of yours."

I smiled brightly. "That, James, I think I can pencil in."

**Bella POV**

I sighed happily as I stepped out of the yellow taxi. Closing the car door behind me, I stepped onto the street quickly reminiscing about my fantastic morning with my boyfriend of six months… six months of daily fucking.

_Eat your heart out, Spinsterhood._

Life was good – _beyond_ good – like Disney movie good, well Disney with a very NC-17 rating; singing blue birds and all - with a side of cock, of course. I had the most wonderful man in the world in my bed this morning – and in the shower, no less. As I approached the entrance of my building I stepped into my dreamland, reminiscing about the way Cullen's tongue found its way…

"Shit!" I yelled, catching myself as I tripped on the curb. I steadied myself for a moment then let out a hearty laugh – honestly, nothing could ruin my happy 'I've just been fucked' mood. That is, until the taxi feverishly drove off, dousing me with muddy gutter water.

"Son of a bitch!" I yelled, the murky liquid quickly staining my white blouse and navy blue pencil skirt. I looked down at the large, dirty blotches. You know what? It didn't matter. I was in love – I mean, in love, in love. With my shoulders back, chest out, and head up, I walked towards the huge glass doors of Twilight Publishing… until I heard a voice that tugged slightly at my heart.

"I can't wait to see you later, Love."

With a quick glance to the left of me – I saw the man who I let go… the man who I haven't really thought of since I ran through JFK airport to tell my Edward how much I needed him. Of course I had interacted with him at work – his demeanor still the same, that same 'I'm British and utterly fuckable" persona present. However, there was always a slight tension whenever we were both in the same room… But, come to think of it… Masen had been a little too chipper these last few weeks, and now, it was obvious why.

Looking fucking gorgeous in her sunny yet polished yellow dress and her obviously expensive cashmere cardigan was, Tanya.

_The_ Tanya.

He had replaced me with her – and what a fucking upgrade that was.

"Swan?" I shook my head and then suddenly realized that I had been staring at the gorgeous couple.

_Shit. _

"Um, yeah… yeah, hello! Edward… Tanya! What a surprise, you look great. Of course you look great! You always do! I bet you don't even have to try, right? … God, I'm running my fucking mouth aren't I? God, and I just said 'fuck'! Oh God…" My voice trailed off into a nervous laughter.

_--Jesus Bella, can you make yourself look any more like an ass?_

_Don't really think that's possible._

Tanya, the ever-gracious woman, laughed at me warmly.

"Oh, Bella, you're lovely and hilarious!" She grabbed my hand, squeezed it softly and leaned into my ear. "I really hope we can be friends."

_God and the bitch still is as nice as ever._

She pulled back, a genuine smile on her face.

Fuck me. Why couldn't he date someone who was a complete and utter bitch?

"So, um yeah, got to go. You know… work and all." I said, my words coming out in a rush voice.

_Smooth, Swan._

Masen looked towards me, his emerald eyes curious. "Wait a minute, Bella." He turned to Tanya. "I'd better go as well, Love." Masen leaned down, curled his lovely musician fingers under her chin and gave her a soft peck on her pretty dark red lips – I had to beat the jealous monster in my chest down.

_Love? I thought he only called me that…_

_--What's wrong, Swan? Jealous?_

_No, no. I have Cullen… Edward… my Edward._

_--Mmhmm._

"Bella?" Masen's voice asked as he held the huge glass door open for me. I walked towards the open door as Tanya called sweetly, "Bye Bella!" I turned around to say goodbye as well…

'_Thud!'_

"Fuck!" I screamed as my body came into contact with clear glass. Of course I wasn't watching where I was going as I turned to say bye to my ex's fuck-hot girlfriend and promptly ran into the glass on the left side of the door.

"Bloody hell, Bella! Are you okay?" Masen asked, slightly surprised. I stood back, rubbing my forehead.

"Son of a bitch! Only me, only fucking me!"

Masen couldn't contain his laughter. "Fuck Swan…"

I glared at him. "Shut the fuck up, James." I whizzed past him and pressed the up button on the elevator. I crossed my arms, a scowl apparent on my face.

"Oh, come on, Swan! Tell me that wasn't bloody brilliant!"

I said nothing as the elevator dinged and the doors opened – only Masen and got in. I reached for our floor button and so did Masen – our fingers got tangled with one another.

"Sorry," we both said at the same time. God, this was becoming fucking awkward. Masen sighed and turned towards me. He pinched the bridge of his nose out of… nervousness?

"Look, Bella..."

"I'm happy for you." I suddenly blurted out.

_God, I'm sure that didn't sound lame._

Masen cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"Look, I know that it was my decision and yes, I'm still very attracted to you but, I'm really happy and everything, you know, with your brother… God, that sounds bad doesn't it? I really don't mean…"

"William doesn't know," Masen blurted, interrupting me.

"What?" I asked, my eyes wide with slight surprise. "Don't you think he has a right to know?"

Masen shuffled around uncomfortably. "Perhaps, but Tanya and I… are just starting out. She feels… insecure about some things…" He hesitated as she said the last part. "We are taking it slow. I don't feel like William needs to know right now."

"Things…as in?" I pressed, my mind reeling.

Masen looked towards the elevator doors as he casually said, "Just things… our time apart, my being in New York…" he trailed, pausing before casually adding, "You and I."

'_Ding!'_ the elevator doors opened. Masen stepped out, turned and looked at me.

"I'll need those reports as soon as you can. Thanks, Bella." My head nodded, but my mind was still racing.

_Him and I?_

Tanya was insecure of ME? What kind of fucked up parallel universe was I living in?

"Ms. Swan?" I turned around and saw Rhonda standing in front of me with numerous pieces of paper threaded through her fingers. I sighed, already knowing who they were from.

"My mother?" I asked.

Rhonda nodded feverishly, "She says it's urgent."

I rolled by eyes and grabbed the copious amounts of paper out of her hands. "Of course its urgent, always is." I smiled. "Thank you, Rhonda."

Entering my office, I threw the useless pieces of paper into the trash; I already know what she wants – "When are you and that darling man of yours coming over for dinner?"

_Never – that's when._

Throwing my purse onto my desk, I plopped down into my plush leather chair and took a moment to check my email. I smiled almost immediately when I saw an email from William in my inbox.

From: Cullen, Edward

To: Swan, Isabella

Subject: NO SUBJECT.

Darling,

I know that we had plans tonight; however, something work-related came up and won't be home till late. I am terribly sorry. Promise that I'll make it up to you. I love you – more than you know.

William

_Well, shit. What the fuck was I suppose to do now?_

_--You could always break out the vodka and have a date with your iPod._

_God, no. That scenario always ends up with me completely smashed and singing classic love-has-fucked-me-over songs._

_--Well, what about Alice? _

_Yeah… Alice! I've missed the little pixie._

Immediately, I picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Hello, Bella!" her chirpy voice quickly replied.

"How do you know it's me?" I asked, perplexed.

"I'm psychic, remember? Or… it could be that your work number came up on my caller id," she taunted.

"Hardy, har-har, Alice." I smiled into the phone; I've missed her.

"So, let me guess. You want to have dinner? Why, yes, I'd love to," she said excitedly.

"You're a fucking genius."

Alice giggled, "I know, Bella. How about, Yorks at eight?"

"Yorks? Does this mean I have to dress fancy?" I pouted.

"Oh Jesus, Bella – would it kill you to put on a dress for once?"

"Yes." I simply replied. Alice huffed on the other line.

"Well, Ms. Swan, I don't care. See you at eight. Loves! Bye!" And with that my dear best friend hanged up on me.

I looked at my phone in astonishment. Fucking pixie.

Almost immediately, the phone rang again – she was probably going to tell me what dress I should wear. "Yes Alice, I know the black…"

"Bella?" a deep voice called.

"Edward…" I breathed into the phone. God, even the tone of his voice made me all sorts of tingly.

"Hi, darling. Did you get my email?"

I sighed, my tone sad. "Yes, do you really have to work tonight, baby?"

"Yes and I'm incredibly sorry. You know how much I was looking forward to tonight."

"You mean, you, Edward William Cullen, was looking forward to a night of unpacking and greasy pizza? God, who are you, and what have you done with my stick-up-his-ass boyfriend? I kind of miss him." I said, teasing him playfully.

He laughed, before replying, "Well, he was thinking of skipping the artery-clogging dinner and the monotonous chore of unpacking and just going for straight… _fucking_." The last word was above a mere whisper within his deep voice.

_Holy… fuckme._

"Bella?" he asked, his deep voice making me quiver.

Somehow, I managed to speak. "You can't say stuff like that Edward, and leave me all night… panting."

I could basically hear the smile in his voice – cocky bastard. "I can do whatever I want to you, my Darling."

I nearly growled into the phone. "You're going to get it when you get home."

"Get what exactly, my darling?"

I bit my lip, grinning while I tried my own pseudo-seductive tone. "I can't say, but I know you'll like it."

Now it was Cullen's turn to groan softly, "Mmm, can't wait Bella."

There was a slight pause. "Why don't you call Alice? Have a ladies night? I'll be back by the time you get in and then… well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

"God, you're horrible. Absolutely horrible; I love you. And I already called Alice." I stated matter-of-factly.

Edward chuckled. "You're horrible too and I love you as well. Have fun with Alice… I'll see you later, Darling."

"Bye, baby," I said my voice sad; I never liked saying goodbye to him.

'_Buzz!_' my intercom rang; I nearly jumped out of my leather chair.

_Jesus Christ._

"Ms. Swan?" the melodic voice of the secretary purred out into the room.

"Yes, Rhonda?" I answered with disdain.

"Um, yes, Mr. Masen said that if you could bring those reports into his office, that'd be great."

"Oh yes, of course. Tell him I'll be right there; thanks."

I sighed, getting up from my chair and grabbing the pale yellow folder from my desk. I had to admit – going to see Masen and putting on my 'employee' persona in front of him--was hard. I still cared for him – my body still found him incredibly attractive. But, I had to remind myself that I had made the right decision; I had chosen my Edward. And apparently he had moved on… with one of the most gorgeous woman in the entire fucking world – brilliant.

Knocking on the glass door, I waited for Masen to motion me in. He was sitting casually at his desk – his form relaxed in his leather chair. His hair was all over the place – as usual, his dark green button up apparent underneath his expensive black Prada suit.

_God fucking damn it; he looked gorgeous._

After hanging up the phone, he motioned me in. Opening the door, I got a hint of his fuckhot scent – a bittersweet mix of musk, dark amber, and vanilla, with the slightest hint of tobacco. God, it was so different from Cullen's, and so… lovely.

"Bella, thanks for coming in."

"Um, sure. I have those reports you asked for." I said, waving the folder in my hand.

He motioned me closer. "Yes, of course, thanks." I held out the folder to him and he took it with slight hesitation.

"Look, Bella… I want us… to get over this…" He motioned between us, "…awkwardness." A big fucking sigh of relief left my lips– he had bought up the exact same thing I've wanted to talk about.

"Me too, James; I'm really happy that you've found something with Tanya again. She's lovely and fucking gorgeous."

James smiled, he looked proud at my words. "Yes, she is. And she adores you, Bella."

I laughed. "I know; why couldn't you date someone who's a total bitch?"

Masen raised his eyebrows.

Oh right - I was fucking his brother.

I cleared my throat. "Um, so yeah, let's move past this and be friends. What do you say?"

Masen nodded as he set the folder on his desk, grabbed my hand and kissed it softly.

"Friends… and for the record, I'm glad you're with William and not some random wanker." My heart fluttered quietly as Masen's subtle touch; I broke the contact.

"Thank you. Now, about those reports--"

"Ah yes, the reports, I'm sure they're fine, Swan. You've always done a wonderful job with them."

"Thanks, it's good that you bring that up because I was thinking that maybe… you could give me something… _harder_ to work on."

Masen raised his eyebrows once again.

I gasped as I understood how that sounded. "Oh, you pervert! I mean work wise. I feel like I'm ready for more responsibilities."

"I know what you meant, Swan. Now whose mind is in the bloody gutter?" He laughed.

My cheeks instantly became hot. "Anyways, I want to be seen as someone who is serious… someone who…"

"Serious? Is that your most serious skirt, Swan?" Masen asked, pointing down to my tight navy blue pencil skirt.

"Edward said it looked good." I retorted.

"My brother only said that because it outlines your arse perfectly, Swan," he said, eyeing me up and down.

"Um, sorry? Err, thanks?" I said, squirming uncomfortable under his gaze.

Masen laughed breaking the tension. "God, you're easy to fuck with, Bella. Anyways, I'll take you into consideration for the upcoming account, okay? I know you'd be an excellent candidate for a higher position within the company."

"Thanks, Edward." I smiled.

"No problem, Bella. And really, you look lovely today – I was just, you know, friendly teasing." He grinned cheekily.

I rolled my eyes and I opened his office door. "I don't know how Tanya puts up with you," I teased, hoping he understood.

Masen shrugged playfully as I stepped out of his office and closed the door softly behind me.

Maybe… all of this will work out for the best; I'm sure of it.

**

I took one look at the ridiculous getup called a 'dress'. Alice insists on dining at the fancy places and I had to suffer the fucking consequences. Fact: I hated her for it.

Although, I had to admit; I looked amazing. The very simple, very tight black dress, with a sweetheart neckline fitted my form perfectly. My hair swept up in a simple, messy ponytail and just a little liner on the eyes made me feel… well, pretty fuckhot. If only Edward could see me…

…And the fact that he couldn't made me sad.

_--You act like you haven't seen him in ages._

_I… miss him - terribly._

_--*sighs* You're pathetic, Swan._

_I'm okay with that._

'Ding-dong!' The door bell rang making E.J. bark continuously at the door.

"Edward Junior, NO!" I bellowed as I grabbed my purse off the counter. E.J. sat down at the door and growled softly, instead. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I walked past him petting his head.

"Be a good boy for mommy and daddy." E.J. licked the back of my hand and I opened up the door to see Alice, her perfect form, in her perfect dress – bitch.

"Bella! Look at you! I don't know why you wear jeans and t-shirts when you look gorgeous in dresses!"

I rolled my eyes. "God, Alice, you sound just like Renee."

Alice pursed her lips. "Oh, Bella! That's only because we know what's good for you. Come on, the taxi is waiting."

We slid into the taxi, filling the short ride with tales of her and Jasper's loving, wonderful, amazing sex filled relationship – all according to Alice.

"Really, it all sounds so lovely, Alice."

Alice must have noticed the wistful tone of my voice. "Bella, what's wrong?"

I sighed. "It's stupid, really."

"Bella…" Alice warned, I sighed again.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm PMSing, but… I had plans with William tonight and he had to work late, therefore he cancelled and…" I could feel my emotions getting the best of me.

Fuck, what was wrong with me?

"It's silly I know… but, for once in my horrible love life, everything is going so perfect… and I just feel like something is bound to go wrong and send me straight back into Spinsterhood!! You know, like Monopoly! Do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars, go straight to Spinsterhood!" I laughed, embarrassed of my outburst. "And, I guess I just miss him…" I added sheepishly.

Alice laughed softly and wrapped her tiny arms around me.

"Oh Bella, its okay babe! I know how you feel… I already miss Jasper. But this is going to be a chick night and we are going to get hammered!" I couldn't help but laugh at Alice's enthusiasm.

"Drunk, it is!" I declared as the taxi pulled up to the restaurant. We opened the door and the cool wind felt good against my sensitive skin. Looping her arm through mine, we sauntered – yes, _sauntered_ into the restaurant.

"May I help you?" The French hostess asked us as we approached her.

Alice stepped in. "Yes, Alice Brandon for two."

"Ah yes, Ms. Brandon. This way, please," the lady said, escorting us to a table near the bar.

I looked around the room, impressed with Alice's choice. "Alice…" I breathed softly. "This place is amazing…"

Amazing, it was. As I took in my surroundings I felt like this would be perfect for a romantic date with…

"Edward?" I stopped in my tracks – there, across the room was the familiar perfectly placed hair of my Edward, my William.

Unfortunately, he wasn't alone – he was sitting across from a tanned, long legged woman who had gleaming dark brunette hair underneath the restaurants' romantic low lighting.

"Bella?" Alice asked, her tiny hand squeezing my arm. The hostess stopped a few steps ahead of us, motioning us to our table.

"It's Edward, Alice. He's here… with someone else," I said, my voice sounding foreign to me.

Alice peeked over my shoulder. "Maybe it's a client, Bella." I shook my head, my anger getting the best of me.

I took a deep breath. "I'll meet you at the table, Alice."

"Bella…" Alice said her tone laced with warning.

"I said I'll meet you at the table, Alice." Alice sighed drastically and let go of my arm.

Standing up straight, I made my way towards my William and the gorgeous, 'client'. As I approached, the foreign woman came into clearer view. She was wearing a low cut, blue dress that complemented her skin tone perfectly. She had legs up to the ceiling – her tanned skin glowed. Her lovely deep chestnut hair was long and perfectly straight – her teeth white as snow. Her lips were pouty, her nose small. I watched helplessly as she said something that made my Edward laugh. She laughed along with him, inconspicuously placing her hand on his forearm; just as I thought I had reach my highest anger lever, this lady made realize I still had a whole fuck load to give. As I strolled to the table I vaguely noticed she looked a little familiar, then it hit me, .! No, no… not like me, more like a fuckhot version of me.

She was Bella Swan: Version 2.0. And I, unfortunately, was last year's model.

"Hello." I said, making my presence known, they two seemed to be in some sort of deep conversation, neither of them acknowledged me. This was beginning to feel a hell of a lot like the Tits McGee and Masen debacle – I don't think I could handle it again. Fuck, suddenly I felt foolish and childish.

Finally, I cleared my throat loudly and Edward turned away from her and looked at me; his expression confused.

"Bella?"

* * *

B - CULLEN!! What have you done? *cries* Well, we must wait for K's amazing chapter... tell her to hurry the funk up!! :)

K - OMG!! Wtf is wrong with you Cullen?!??!? Lol, I guess I'll have to have a sit down with him and get an explanation!!! Please leave a review!

Reviews? Why, yes please. ;)


	4. The New Case

B - Not much to say, most of my beloveds know what I'm going to say anyways, bahaha. Jenn, Shae, Eleni, Ashley, Starla, Krista, Amy, Kimmie & so many more - I do this all for you! MUAH.

Karla, I can't wait till I have you at my fingertips this summer. We're going to end up hating one another - I CAN'T WAIT! xD

K- So here it is; sorry for the wait. Finals!! What else can I say? Anyways hope you like it.

Becca, I really dunno how we're gonna stand living together... LOL, but Im sure we'll manage. Love ya!

Mellissa - You are the beta everyone hopes for. We're so lucky to have you!!  
qjmom and sweek539 rock our worlds!!! :D

**DISCLAIMER: WE DO NO PROFIT OUT OF THE TWILIGHT SERIES. IT DOES NOT BELING TO US. **

* * *

**Cullen POV **

After the _very_ pleasant shower I shared with Bella, I couldn't help but tease about her inability to walk through the house without getting hurt. She laughed, and after agreeing to an in-house date night, we set off to getting ready for work.

After getting dressed I ended up with enough time to actually have a cup of coffee while reading the Times. Impatiently tapping the side of my black mug, I silently wished that my Bella would hurry up with getting ready; I wanted to share a cab with her - they're a pain in the ass to get around this time of morning.

Seriously, why do women insist on taking fucking forever to get ready? I mean, how hard was it? Just pick up some trousers, a blouse and be done with it; I've told Bella this on multiple occasions.

"I look fucking terrible!" She'd just screeched back at me. I sighed - what she didn't know was that she could be wearing sackcloth and still look incredibly sexy. Honestly, I could really care less what she wore; it would end up tossed haphazardly on our floor anyways - after I practically rip the offending garments off her womanly body to make love to her.

As always Bella was going to be late, something I wanted to avoid - I was _never_ late.

"Are you almost done, Darling?" I yelled towards the bedroom, finishing the last of my coffee.

"What time is it?" Bella yelled back.

I looked back at the clock in our kitchen. "Late," I said, walking back to our bedroom where Bella was.

I tried to hold back laughter as I waited for her to swear and run out of the bedroom, half-dressed, telling me to go on without her.

"Shit!" she yelled, probably looking at the time herself.

I reached the doorway and leaned on it, watching as my Bella threw her clothes all over the room. I sighed stepping in and picking up the random clothes that lay carelessly all over our bedroom.

I loved my Bella, truly I did, but living with her took some getting used to. Of course, I loved waking up next to her every morning; coming home to find her making a mess in the kitchen but preparing something delicious; and I would never understand the fascination she had with her vodka.

"Stupid, stupid blouse!" I heard Bella screech as she threw off another of her shirts, tossing it on the floor along with the rest of them.

"Bella, darling... really, what was wrong with this one?" I asked, picking up the beige fabric from the floor. Bella huffed, crossed her arms and turned to face me.

"It just doesn't look right, Edward! Nothing does today! God..." She replied, quickly going back to rummage through our walk-in closet. I watched her stomp her way to the closet - dressed in a tight, dark blue pencil skirt and a her modest white bra, I had to adjust my trousers and mentally remind myself that I was _never_ late for work.

"Darling..." She ignored me, mumbling something about 'damn pixies that were never there when you needed them' and 'they're there when you didn't need them'.

"Darling..." I tried again.

Bella continued to ignore me, her tiny hands blowing through the rack of her shirts. I walked into the closet and pulled out the first garment I saw. It was a simple, feminine, white silk blouse. Smirking to myself I walked up behind Bella, placed my chin on her shoulder and held out the shirt in front of her.

"Now this would look lovely on you, Darling." Bella quickly took it from my hands and examined it with scrutiny.

"I don't... oh...!" Her voice teetered off. When she freed my hands of the garment, they busied themselves by soothing the soft skin of her belly, stroking upwards until they reached her breasts - quickly groping them.

Her head fell back onto my chest and I groaned as I felt her nipples harden underneath my touch.

"So, how's that blouse, baby?" I asked my voice deeper, rougher.

"Uh, yes... good, very good... oh God, yes..." I chuckled and kissed the side of her neck; my hands fell to my sides.

"Good, now hurry, I've called a taxi for us, and it'll be here in ten."

Bella huffed and turned around, annoyance placed on her pretty features. "You're an evil man, Edward Cullen."

I laughed and kissed her nose. "I love you."

Her gorgeous smile appeared on her lips. "I love you, too."

I turned around to leave her to dress, but I couldn't help but take one more glance at her lovely body.

"Mm, you should wear that skirt more often, Bella." I said, admiring the way it hugged her lower half.

Bella smirked knowingly, "Pervert". I laughed softly and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Bella to her skirt and blouse.

--

The taxi dropped me off first - my firm was closer than Bella's publishing office. I kissed her quickly, paid the cabbie before stepping out and heading into the office.

As I stepped into the elevator I cracked my neck from side to side and perked myself up to go into my 'Mr. Cullen' persona, the best international law attorney in the East coast and a downright bastard. Needless to say, my job was a very important aspect of my life and up until last year it had been _the _most important thing in my life. I smiled as I realized that was not the case anymore.

_My Bella. _

She was the most important thing in my life now. Sure, work still held an important role but as far as I was concerned, Bella was the source of my happiness and the sudden contentment that had the smile perched upon my face every morning.

Yes, I was pussy whipped, but I didn't fucking care. Nevertheless, my work was something I always took pride in. I had worked tirelessly in college and law school, along with the constant fellowships and seminars I had to attend on a constant basis. Now that I had a life besides work, it didn't mean that I was going to throw everything I've worked for out the window. Needless to say, these past few months with Bella had been the happiest months - personal wise, and had been the crappiest months in respect to my work.

Things had spiraled downward at work when I decided to stay in New York with Bella instead of going to London to work with my father's law firm - on what could've been the biggest case of my career.

It all started when James had unexpectedly gone back to London for business, and Bella and I started our affair. Afraid to lose her and wanting to spend more time with her, I cut back on the hours I'd normally spent as the head of division in Cullen and Hale Associates. And by cutting back I mean the normal 60 hours of work had gone back to mere 35. With Bella by my side, I found myself spending fewer weekends obsessing over work and happily spending more days just hanging out with her and that ridiculously adorable dog of hers.

Jasper had been very understanding - he was just happy to see me happy for a change. Rosalie, being as much of a workaholic as I, was not as understanding. When the shit hit the fan with Bella and James, I was convinced that my heart was the one that was going to be shattered; and that's when my escape came in the form of a phone call from my father -Victor Masen.

Victor Masen was the founder of one of most prominent law firms in the UK, and it was because of him that I got my first real shot as a lawyer. When my marriage with Tanya fell apart, it was only because of my experience in my father's law firm that I could start my own law firm with my college friends: Jasper and Rosalie Hale.

I guess you could say that it was because of my father that I had the success I have now; I've always been grateful to him for that. When he had called me - I was trying to get my mind off Bella by working late hours, Victor offered me a collaboration that would put both of us in the public eye. I took it without hesitation. The case involved an American woman who had fallen in love and married a social activist who was half-English, half-Turk. He was in the midst of being deported from England so he could be tried, and more than likely be executed for crimes against his government.

When father dearest called me to offer me a position within his team, I jumped at the opportunity to run away from my problems. Jasper and Rosalie agreed to involve the law firm in such a high profile case. I packed my bags and booked the first plane to London.

I never got on that plane.

And while I would never regret that decision in a million years, it had taken a toll on my professional career. Victor had been furious that I had not gone back to London when I had the chance. I understood his anger since the case had taken a major blow because of my personal decisions. As a compromise, Rosalie agreed to take my place. However, since she was a family law specialist there was really not much she could attribute to the case.

We had agreed that I would advise Rosalie through conference calling and emails while she was in London, while I stayed here with Bella. But that was not turning out as good as we hoped. My constant distractions in the form of Bella Swan, Rosalie's inability to work with my father and his constant sexual innuendos had all of us at a stand still. It was because of this that we were currently being held under scrutiny.

Honestly, I was completely unaware of how bad things were until the past weekend, when I got a call from Jasper telling me that he had heard through the grapevine that Lillian Smith (the American woman married to the Turkish bloke) had gone to the Volturi law firm to see if they could be any better at solving her husband's situation.

It was then that I realized, something had to change, and quickly. Much to Bella's dismay, I spent the rest of the weekend trapped in my office, trying to convince Mrs. Smith to stay with us.

_'Ding!'_

I sighed as the elevator signaled my arrival, interrupting my thoughts. I'd decided I was going to fix this whole debacle and soon. I'm sure my Bella would understand if I spent a little less time home, wouldn't she?

As I stepped out of the elevator it took less than two seconds for Mrs. Cope, my secretary to come running to my side with a bunch of messages in her old hands.

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen," she said, taking my coat and perching it on her arm while simultaneously handing me about a dozen messages.

"Morning, Mrs. Cope," I said with a nod. "What's the damage?"

As we reached my office, she started listing the messages while I settled into my desk. She placed my coat on the coat rack next to my bookcase, continuing on with listing off my pending messages.

"Mr. Masen called - his plane has arrived on time and he should be here for the meeting at noon. Mrs. Smith wanted to speak with you before she travels back to London; and Mr. and Ms. Hale are waiting for you in the conference room," she said, while simultaneously producing a thick file and handing it to me.

My eyes widened, "Rosalie is here already?" I asked, perplexed.

She nodded, "Apparently, Sir, she didn't - and I quote -'Want to spend another second in the company of that womanizing bastard.' end quote. She came in very early and has spent the whole morning in the conference room with Mr. Hale."

_Womanizing bastard... nice, dad. _

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to fight back the oncoming headache.

"Could you please bring some Tylenol to the conference room, and make sure to tell us when my father arrives. I have a feeling we'll be in there for a while," I said, standing up and walking into the hallway.

"Certainly, sir."

I made myself a cup of coffee before heading into the conference room preparing myself for Rosalie's anger. I knocked on the door, and was immediately greeted by Rose opening the door, her blue eyes glaring at me.

"Nice of you to join us, Edward," Rose seethed. She stepped back and let me through.

"If I recall correctly, Rosalie, you were supposed to be here at noon with my father, not 8 am," I replied testily. I was not in the mood to handle any of Rose's tantrums.

"Jaz," I greeted, sitting down beside him. He was grimacing at Rosalie, obviously annoyed with her mood as well.

"Hey, man, it's gonna be a long day," he sighed, lifting his own coffee cup in a mock toast. I mimicked his actions.

"Long day?" Rosalie screeched. "Oh, I feel so fucking sorry for you guys!" she started, losing her perfect composure. "I've been dealing with this fuckery since the day you decided to play house with your little distraction and I am done, Edward, you hear me? Done!"

"Okay, Rose, I get it," I interrupted, holding my hands out in defense. "But don't you dare place the blame solely on me. You're the one that jumped at the London opportunity; it's not my fault you don't know how to deal with my father."

"Deal with him?!" Rosalie bellowed, making Jasper and I flinch slightly. "Please! Your father never took me seriously. From the moment I stepped off the plane, he was a condescending asshole who only wanted to get under my skirt. He never even listened to any of my ideas! I swear he is worse than your brother and that - that is saying a lot."

"Rosalie, enough," Jasper quipped in before I could reply. "The truth of the matter is that you couldn't handle it and now we're fucked." Before I could smirk, Jasper turned to me and gave a look. "And you completely neglected your responsibilities and left her out there on her own, even knowing that she was out of her comfort zone."

I bit my tongue because I knew he was right.

"I should've been more involved as well, but it's safe to say _other distractions_." He looked at each of us pointedly before continuing, "have gotten in the way, and that stops now."

He paused for a moment, giving us time to protest. Rosalie sighed dramatically and sat down, facing me directly. She gave me an apologetic look and I nodded in response. Jasper witnessed the semi-friendly exchange and continues his little speech.

"Ok, so we fucked up; time to fix this shithole... how are we going to do that?"

They both looked at me. It was then that I knew it was time to step up and remind them why I was head partner, "I'll fix it." Taking out my iPhone, I quickly drafted an email to Bella; from the looks of it, I wouldn't be out of here anytime soon.

**

Three hours later, Rosalie, Jasper and I were still trapped in the conference room, trying to figure out the logistics of our new plan. I ran my hands through my hair - reminding myself to get haircut soon - while I listened to Rosalie's account of what measures needed to be taken to get back on course.

I could tell by looking at her, how exhausted she was, and part of me felt guilty. Sure, Rose and I clashed almost about everything around the office, but we were still friends and I knew I had let her down. Her slightly disheveled appearance made me realize just how much pressure she was under. Her normally styled hair was pulled back into a tight, simple bun; her face had no makeup and I could see bags under her eyes. Just being around her was draining - my coat was already off, my long sleeves pushed back to my elbows and my tie hung loosely around my collar. Jasper's appearance was not far from mine.

"The ideas you gave me were good, Edward, but to be honest, it was like they were rejected simply because it was me who was delivering them," she said, frustration evident in her tone.

I sighed. "Rose, I know Victor wanted something more out of you but..."

"It wasn't Victor, Edward," Rose said rolling her eyes, "Well, not all the time..."

Jasper and I looked at her curiously, waiting for her to elaborate. "It was that bitch," she said in between her teeth.

"I'm sorry?" I asked confused.

"Anais Cleaver," Rosalie said with a huff. "She's Victor's new prodigy. I swear she's got him wrapped around her finger; everything she says goes. Every idea we threw out there she would spin it and take credit for them. In meetings she would flat out make arguments against my ability to handle this. I swear that bitch was asking for it."

Jasper made a soft growl and I chuckled knowing full well that women in our field always competed against each other. It was common knowledge for all female lawyers under our staff to stay away from Rosalie, as she quickly grew jealous of anyone with potential. She always made sure to teach them who the boss was. It seemed like Rosalie met her match with this Anais woman.

"Rose, I am sure my father would've appreciated a good cat fight," I teased.

She gave me a disgusted look. "As if I would've given the fucker the satisfaction."

I couldn't help but laugh at the situation; I guess it was going to be me who showed this Anais person who was truly the boss.

Before I could ask more, a soft knock interrupted our conversation. Mrs. Cope entered the room and told me that my father had arrived.

We unanimously decided to take a quick break while I spoke to my father in private.

"He's waiting for you in your office," Mrs. Cope said, giving me an encouraging smile.

As I walked into my office, I immediately noticed my 'charming' father had already made himself at home. I caught him with a picture frame of my mother and Carlisle in his hands, sitting on my chair with his feet propped up on my desk. He reminded me so much of James at that moment that I briefly wondered if I ever looked like that. His bronze hair was much more tamed than James and mine, his green eyes danced happily as he stared at the picture and the trademark half smirk was perfectly poised as it always was.

"Please put that down," I said, slightly annoyed by the way he hungrily looked at the picture.

"William!" Victor exclaimed happily, his thick British accent flowing through his words. He quickly stood up and walked over - giving me a hug. I half returned it. For some reason it was always hard for me to be around my biological father.

"Dad," I said, patting his back awkwardly and stepping away.

"Bit of a mess you got us in, huh, _Cullen_?" my father said, giving emphasis on my acquired last name.

"Nothing I can't fix, that I assure you," I said, stepping back and moving towards my desk.

My father quickly sat down on one of the opposing chair, motioning to the frame he still held on his hands. "When was this taken?" he asked curiously.

"Last year," I said curtly.

"Still with that bloke, then?" he asked, flicking his finger over Carlisle on the picture.

"Yup," I said nonchalantly straightening some paperwork and adding, "twenty years this spring, I believe."

I saw with a slight satisfaction how Victor's lips pursed in annoyance. It was no secret he always held a torch for my mom; even openly flirted with her on the rare occasion they were on the same room.

"Well you can tell your mother she's still the most beautiful woman I've even seen," he said mischievously. I rolled my eyes; he knew full well I'd never pass on that message.

Sensing my irritation, Victor placed the frame back on my desk but quickly picked up the next one; the frame I'd recently put there was from the time I'd taken Bella to the fair. It was a series of three little pictures from a photo booth. Bella and I had been making stupid faces, except for the last frame where we were just smiling at the camera.

"Now _this_ woman, on the other hand..." Victor whistled lowly. "She could be a close second." He smirked and continued, "So, _this _is the charming lady that's got you and had your brother wrapped around her little finger," he teased. I bit back any comments. "You always did prefer brunettes, William, and I can see why. When do I get to meet this charming creature?"

"Perhaps when this case is finished?" I said trying to divert the conversation back to our work.

"You're going to hold her off that long? Afraid of something, son?" he teased, smirking at his own implication.

I pursed my lips in annoyance, fighting back any remarks - I knew that would just spur him on.

He laughed at my obvious displeasure to his comments; putting the frame back in place he held his hands up in surrender, "Don't worry, Cullen, I promise to leave your Bella alone - I wouldn't want you to beat the shit out of me too."

"I wouldn't trust everything James told you about my relationship with Bella," I seethed, taking mental note to ask my brother exactly what the hell he told our father.

Victor laughed and shook his head. "Easy there, Son, your brother mentioned you guys were over that shite, I'm just kidding around."

Standing up from his chair, Victor proceeded to walk around my office playing around with the various trinkets. "Speaking of your brother," he started nonchalantly, "I haven't spoken to him in while. We should take him out while I'm in New York. You know, get some beers and meet a few lovely women..."

Of course my father's concern for James' heartbreak would be disguised as an offer to help James get laid.

"Well, no, I haven't spoken to James in a while. And contrary to what you may believe, I assure you James needs no help when it comes to getting women," I said, half amused half annoyed.

Rather than looking aggravated with my words, Victor seemed almost proud of my statement.

_Yeah, why would he be proud of the one son finally being in a stable, loving relationship when he can be proud of the one who's a womanizing man-whore?_

"Well, bloody good!" he said, smiling. "I was just about to suggest you set him and dear Rosie up; you know how he always liked blondes. Besides, Rosie sure looks like she could use a good roll in the sack."

I groaned, running my hands over my hair. "Dad, you really got to stop saying comments like that about Rosalie. She's this close to suing you with sexual harassment," I pleaded.

Victor had the audacity of throwing me an outraged look. "Sexual harassment?! Didn't Rosalie enjoy our time together in London? I was just trying to be as friendly as possible," he said, innocently.

I gave him a pointed look. "Rosalie is not the kind of woman to sleep her way to the top, Dad."

"I never expected her to do such a thing! Sleeping with the boss! How...shameful..." he said in mock outrage. I sighed in frustration, shaking my head in defeat.

My demeanor must have been enough for my father to with the teasing. Giving me a slight apologetic look, he sat back down and his expression became serious.

"Ok, William, I'm sure Rosalie is an excellent lawyer, but she is _not_ what we are looking for in this case. I tried to make it work... I hoped she and Anais could work together, but I should've known better than to trust two broads with such an important assignment. Cutting the bullshit, son, I have no use for her. Yes, she's fantastic to look at, but she will not win us this case."

"I know," I simply said. "I'm stepping in. Rosalie will come back here and I will manage the London case." Victor seemed satisfied and I continued, "But, there is one condition."

Victor quirked an eyebrow, questioning me. "I want full control of the case; and I want your new prodigy to work under me. You're blaming all this on Rose, but this woman - Anais - made a shitload of amateur mistakes and I won't be responsible for them," I said, crossing my arms, daring him to question me.

"You want Anais to work under you?" he asked, snorting at his own double entendre.

I rolled my eyes, before replying with a simple, "Yes."

He smirked and nodded. "Shall we go over your plan then?" He said, standing up and buttoning the jacket of his pristine Prada suit.

With a last wishful glance at Bella's picture, I stood up and followed my father to our conference room. As we strolled down the hallway we were startled by the conference room door bursting open and an angered Rosalie stomping out. Jasper was quickly behind her.

"Rosie, dear!" Victor exclaimed.

"Bite me," she snapped, walking past us and making my father chuckle.

Jasper rolled his eyes and followed her, giving an apologetic look to my father - who in turn just smiled dismissively.

"Charming woman," Victor mumbled. I ignored his comment and walked towards the conference room.

As soon as we entered the room, my eyes fell on the sole reason for Rosalie's anger. A tall, pretty woman was sitting on the table, nonchalantly typing something on her blackberry.

"Anais, sweetheart, didn't we agree not to anger Rosalie before lunch?" my father asked, chuckling as he entered the room.

I couldn't help but notice his condescending tone. The woman, however, seemed completely unfazed as she kept her attention to the device.

"Victor, darling, I agreed to nothing of the sort," she said, her sweet foreign accent mimicking my father's tone.

"Feisty, isn't she?" he asked me with obvious pride.

The comment made the woman look up. She was ready to fire another comment, but something made her stop at the last moment. I watched as she quickly snapped her mouth shut and grinned. Slightly uncomfortable under her gaze, I gave her a shy smile as I shifted my feet and cleared my throat. Before I knew it, she stood up and walked towards us; her high heals clicking with every step, making me divert my attention to her long legs. Snapping out of my thoughts, I diverted my gaze back to her face just in time to catch her giggle at my quiet ogling.

"Anais Cleaver, pleasure to meet you," she said, stretching out her manicured hand.

I took her hand and shook it without hesitation. "Edward Cullen, I believe we'll be working together from now on."

"Well let's get started then," Victor said, clapping his hands and motioning us to the table.

I let Anais walk ahead of me, thinking how harmless she seemed to be compared to the picture Rosalie painted of her. I snapped out my thoughts when I saw Anais trip over her own feet. Instinctively, I reached around and grabbed her waist, pressing her against me to prevent her fall. The act was second nature to me, seeing how I was always catching Bella whenever she tripped over air.

With my hands still grasping her slender waist, Anais looked back at me and I stared into her eyes, realizing that this woman was not my Bella.

Her hair, although brown, was just a shade darker than Bella's; her eyes - animated and quite pretty - were a deep blue, but they were not the expressive brown that I fell in love with.

Startled and surprised by my realizations, I hastily let her go in a very ungentlemanly manner. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that Anais had yet to gain back her footing. As soon as I released her, her body twisted and reached out for me once more, trying to find something to hold on to.

Her arms wrapped around my neck and I grabbed her waist awkwardly, noticing our closeness. Anais looked up; she smiled shyly, not letting go of my neck.

"I... I..." I stuttered nervously.

She gasped softly and quickly let go of me, straightening out her jacket and looking around nervously. "I'm so sorry about that!" she laughed lightly. "I used to be such a klutz, I thought I had outgrown it, but apparently it still creeps up every now and again."

As I watched her speak, I realized I was waiting for something to happen. I couldn't pinpoint what exactly. It wasn't until we were sitting down in our respective seats, listening to my father's prattle on about the case, that I realized what I was missing. I discreetly watched Anais and realized that I was waiting for her to blush.

Such a silly little thing you would think, but I realized I was waiting for it because this woman reminded me of my Bella. I chastised myself at the silly thought, because this woman would never compare to my Bella. Although pretty and obviously very successful, her eyes held no spark, her voice was a little too sweet, and more than anything I felt nothing when I had her in my arms.

Shaking my head, I dismissed the ridiculous thoughts that this woman would ever compare to the love of my life, yet, somehow I still felt horribly guilty.

**

After a day full of meeting and introductions, Anais and I decided to have dinner to discuss the case. I was just about to suggest we order some simple take out when she took the initiative.

"Oh, the concierge at the hotel recommended this new place - Yorks, I believe it's called?"

I groaned inwardly - Yorks was supposed to be this incredibly romantic restaurant. Without wanting to, I had been comparing Anais to Bella all day; I wasn't quite comfortable taking her there.

"Err, sure."

Anais looked at my quixotically. "Unless, you had some other place in mind?" I blew a sigh of relief and was just to suggest a more low-key place when father dearest draped his arm around me.

"Oh come on, Son! Don't be such a prat! Take the gorgeous lady to where she wants to go!"

I resisted the urge to act like a petulant child being told to do something. "Of course, Yorks it is then. Just, let me grab my coat."

Anais beamed as she reached for her coat and shrugged it on. "Great, I'll just meet you down in the lobby, Edward."

I nodded, heading for my office to quickly grab my jacket. Shrugging my coat on, I caught a quick glance of Bella and mine's picture. I sighed sadly. I'd much rather be at home, making love with her in our bed. But, I promised Victor that I would fix this and win this God damned case.

It was one promise that I wasn't going to break.

**

"Oh, Edward, this place is so lovely! So... romantic."

I cleared my throat as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "Yes, it would be lovely for a date," I replied politely.

However, Anais raised an eyebrow. "Do I make you nervous, Edward? I've been kind of getting an odd feeling from you all day."

_Fuck, she noticed. Get your shit together; you're a lawyer for fuck's sake._

"No, no... it's just weird; you remind me of someone that I love very much."

Anais's poised features frowned a bit. "Oh? A family member, perhaps?"

"Yes, my grandmother." I replied cheekily.

Anais laughed. "You're joking, right?"

I chuckled slightly, "Of course. Actually, you remind me so much of..." Before I could finish my sentence however, a woman dressed in a wonderfully tight black dress stood at the front of our table. It was the woman I had been yearning for all day -

"Bella?"

**Bella POV **

"Hello, Edward. Odd seeing you here, isn't it?" I said a fake smile plastered on to my made up lips.

Edward got up to greet me properly, but I held my hand up, signaling him to sit back down. The woman across from him finally spoke.

"I'm sorry... you are?" she asked. I gritted my teeth at her poisonously sweet, British accent. I chuckled inwardly_. _

_And she's British? Yeah... awesome._

Finally, I turned to the gorgeous bitch accompanying my as equally gorgeous bastard of a boyfriend.

"Obviously, no one important. If you'll excuse me..."

Bella 2.0 smiled softly flipping her long, dark locks over her shoulder as she held out her hand.

"Anais."

What a perfect gorgeous, French name; only to go with her perfect hair, her perfect skin, her perfect stupid fucking face.

Perfect... just like... Tanya. Stupid, perfect bitches.

Ignoring her perfectly manicured hand, I stood up straight and continued, "Right. Well, must be going." I shot a glance over to my Edward, confusion evident on his features.

"Hope you like sleeping on the couch, Edward."

Edward frowned at my statement, confusion still perched upon his features. I waited a few seconds for any recognition of wrongdoing but it never came.

"Bella - I..." William started but, I turned and walked away; my fancy heels clicking against the pristine tile of the restaurant as I was trying to hold back my angry tears.

"Bella, wait!" I heard Edward's voice call behind me. I continued to walk to the entrance of the restaurant, determined not to make a complete fool of myself in front of a crowd again.

I passed Alice who was still standing near our table, watching the whole scene unfold before her.

"Bella?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine, Alice. Just give me a few minutes."

"Bella, God damn it, wait!" I felt Edward softly grab my arm as I reached the restaurant doors.

"Let go of me," I seethed.

Edward furrowed his brow. "What's going on with you?"

I crossed my arms, looking past William, pointing to his gorgeous dinner date.

"That's my problem." Edward turned his head and caught glance at who I was pointing towards. He responded by laughing softly.

"Oh, Bella, it's only Anais." Somehow, he thought that statement would make me feel better; however, in actuality it only pissed me off more.

_Fucking insensitive bastard._

"Well, hope you enjoy your wonderful evening with - I'm sorry what was it again? Oh yes, "only Anais" and I'm going to get fucking wasted with Alice. See you at home, Cullen."

I walked past him, my shoulder brushing his and motioned at Alice. Like the best friend she was, she had our coats in hand as she approached me.

"We're going to get drunk, aren't we?" she asked softly. I smiled and grabbed my coat from her arm.

"Completely, let's get out of this shithole." Walking pass Cullen once again, I refuse to let my emotions show on my features.

"Bella, please... it's not what you think..."

Ignoring Edward's last plea, I opened the door letting the cold air whip over my body. As we walked down the street to the nearest bar, Alice asked if I knew who the woman was who was with Cullen.

"No idea. But she's fucking gorgeous and I hate the fact that she was there with my boyfriend."

I felt Alice squeeze my arm in reassurance. "He loves you, Bella."

"I know. Look, I really don't want to talk about the headache I'm going to have to come home to later - I'm going to need at least half a bottle of vodka to get through that conversation."

Alice looked at her watch. "Well, we better get started then." We both laughed at her statement as we walked into the swank bar, ready to drink my problems away.

* * *

B - More Cullen & Bella drama to come! And, no we haven't forgotten about Masen & Tanya! Trust us, this new story is going to blow your little minds; we have SO MUCH in-store for all four of them! Reviews? Yes, please. We live for your validation.

K- Am I the only one who still loves Cullen? Becca: YES!! TEAM MASEN FOR LIFE!!! Muahaha.


	5. Making it Work

**_B: We're SORRY, SORRY, SORRY! RL sucks, for cereal! We love you for being so freakin' patient! Not much else to say... we just hope the next chapter won't take too long! :)_**

Karla, you are amazing and I can't wait to see you next month!

Penny, we are working on it! ;D

**_K: RL SUCKS ASS! All I gotta say. Please R&R!_**

Becca, one month, bb!!! :D

Penny, I promise to take out the whip if I have to, to make Becca finish that thing. I got your back ;) :P

Many thanks to our awesome Betas!!! Moon you rock!! Sweek! Bb u are our hero! :P

**_Disclaimer: We do not own any Twilight related characters. _**

* * *

**Cullen POV**

"You have no new messages and no saved messages." The machine beeped, unknowingly mocking me. I groaned out of frustration. I had hoped that Bella left a message while I was out walking E.J. However, I hadn't heard anything from her since our disastrous encounter at York's and it was making it fucking impossible to concentrate on anything.

To kill some time and giving into the anal need to over-analyze everything, I quickly chastised myself for not explaining to Bella what the dinner with Anais meant. I knew that I couldn't be mad at Bella - I knew that if I had been in her position I would've acted the same way, or worse yet, I knew that nothing would stop me from going into possessive-jealous boyfriend mode. At least my Bella was able to walk out without much of a scene.

However, the moment she strolled off with Alice I knew that I needed to let her cool off before I even thought about talking with her. After our encounter, I went back into the restaurant and explained to Anais that she had just spoken to my girlfriend. To Anais' credit, she apologized profusely about the situation, and I told her that it was probably best for me to go home and wait for Bella. Anais was extremely understanding, and told me that we would make arrangements at the office the next morning.

After leaving the restaurant, I basically ran back to our place, hoping that Bella would be there. However, I wasn't too surprised to find our house empty, except for E.J., of course. I called her - dying to explain myself, but again, I wasn't surprised that she didn't answer her phone. I took a deep breath; I knew she'd be safe with Alice and I knew sooner or later she'd come home.

But, after waiting two long-as-fuck hours, I decided that I'd had enough of the eerie silence and took E.J. out for his nightly walk. Of course I was hoping to find Bella home by the time I came back, but obviously that didn't happen.

So, here I was, sitting in my study, staring off into space. I took a sideways glance at the clock noticing that it was half pass midnight. Worried, I tried calling Bella again - no answer. I really didn't want my apology to be said on her answering machine, but I was getting desperate.

"Bella, please darling, call me back. I'm worried. And I promise it's not what you think... just, call me back." I paused. "I love you."

Sighing, I ended the call. To keep my mind busy, I ended up cleaning up the house a little bit. I chuckled - Bella was constantly complaining about my need for cleanliness, while I constantly complained about her disorganization. Making myself a drink, I straightened out the desk we shared; I smiled softly as I noticed some of Bella's work papers had little hearts with our names around the edges. Sure, it was a bit childish, but honestly? I wouldn't have my Bella any other way. After I killed a few minutes cleaning our desk, I decided to finally start working on the case, hoping to lose myself within the mass amounts of paperwork.

Several work-filled hours past and I was startled by the main door opening and Bella and Alice's loud giggles disrupting the house's quiet atmosphere. I walked towards the entrance, following their slurred singing of, "Tainted Love". Alice was singing loudly as Bella hummed along.

"Don't tease me please, I cannot stand the way you teeeeeeeeeeease!" both of them yelled at the same time, before entering the living room and collapsing in a fit of laughter.

My features took on a look of disapproval as I noticed just how drunk they really were.

"Bella?"

Bella swerved slightly at the sound of her name being called. She turned to face me, her smile instantly fading as she glared at me.

"_Edward_," she said with a flat, sarcastic tone.

Alice snickered behind her saying something about a Mexican standoff. I rolled my eyes and began to open my mouth, but before I could say anything, Bella turned and walked towards the kitchen grabbing Alice by the wrist and taking her with her.

Completely irritated I walked back into my office - I really didn't want to make a bigger deal out of the situation, so I retreated and decided that I would wait for Bella to come to me. I tried to get back to work, but I was too distracted by Alice and Bella quietly talking in the kitchen.

After a more few minutes I heard the door open and shut and a few seconds later, Bella strolled into my office. She leaned against the doorway and looked at me. She looked a little more sober than before; I assumed it was okay to talk to her.

"Are you going to let me explain now?" I asked, annoyed by her childish actions.

Bella gave me a look that said 'don't push it'. She then remained quiet, so I continued with slight caution.

"Anais is the lawyer I'm going to be working with on a case with my father. She arrived today and we spent all afternoon working. I wasn't lying when I told you I was working late. Anais got hungry and she mentioned she wanted to try that particular restaurant. I saw no harm in taking her..."

"You see '_no harm'_," Bella interrupted, angrily, "in taking a _very_ attractive woman to a restaurant normal people can't get in without a reservation?"

I winced as Bella's voice grew louder with every word. "No, Edward, there was '_no harm'_ at all in going out with a woman who obviously had no problem batting her eyelashes at you and touching you_..."_

"She was not touching me!" I countered.

"Oh, please," Bella snorted, "Anais or whatever the fuck her name was, was all over you! A few more minutes and I would've found her sitting in your lap!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Bella!"

Bella's expression told me that was the worst thing I could've said.

"Ridiculous?" she murmured, her eyes glistening with tears. "Right... well, sorry! Of course it was silly of me to get upset at seeing my boyfriend have dinner with a strange, attractive woman when he was supposed to be "working"!"

Bella turned and walked away - immediately I bolted after her. I was able to catch her; grabbing her by the waist I pulled her towards me.

"Darling, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Forget it! You just don't get it, do you?"

"Yes, I do. Bella, you think I don't get jealous of your situation with James? You work and meet with him everyday, but I trust you and that's why I never say anything." I seethed.

Bella was startled by my confession. I could tell she had never thought about my feelings with her staying at Twilight Publishing. Of course I never expected her to quit or find another job - that was her life, her decision. However, it would be a lie for me to say that I didn't think that things would be easier if she had a job where she didn't interact with her ex-fiancé on a daily basis.

"I... I didn't know you felt that way," Bella said in a small voice, her eyes curiously reaching out to mine.

I sighed. "Darling, I'm trying ... really, really hard not to be a possessive bastard. But the fact of the matter is that sometimes I really wish you would get another job..."

Bella gasped softly; I could start to see the protest in her features. I quickly interrupted her before she could protest. "But I know how silly that sounds. I don't want you to quit or do anything to damage your career."

Bella closed her mouth and gave me a small glare, but I could see her resolve weaken.

I chuckled. "Hell, I know you wouldn't do anything you didn't want to. That's why I love you and why I never told you anything. Besides, I trust you and in the end you chose me."

Snaking my arms around Bella I pulled her closer giving her a small smile. I knew most of her anger had dissipated by now. She allowed me to embrace her and kiss her lightly on her soft pink lips.

"I did... I chose you," she whispered. "You, Cullen, are one smooth talker."

I laughed quietly, cupping my hands around her cheeks. "I really am sorry," I said, resting my forehead against hers.

"I am too," Bella said, snuggling closer.

"Are we okay?" I asked, pulling back to look at her.

Bella nodded, "Yeah. I'm sorry I overreacted. Besides, it's only a case right? It's not like you'll be with her 24/7."

I stiffened. I was hoping we would wait until tomorrow to have this conversation, but I couldn't lie to her.

"It may not be that simple, baby."

Bella frowned and pulled away from my embrace. Crossing her arms, she gave me a questioning look. "I don't understand."

Nervously running a hand through my hair I pondered the best way to tell her - however, after a few seconds, I concluded the best way would be to just tell her.

"Bella, I need to move to London for a while."

**Bella POV**

_What. The. Fuck. Move to London? As in, 'across the ocean' London?!_

Unable to grasp what he was telling me in my mind, I simply asked the first thing that came to mind. "What the fuck, Cullen? London! What the fuck do you mean, London?!"

Cullen seemed alarmed at my tone. "Bella," he called soothing, reaching for my hand. Ignoring my childish want to throw a tantrum, I let him take my hand.

_- Breathe, Bella. Nothing, nothing comes good out of you over-reacting._

_Shit, my subconscious is right. Know-it-all bitch._

So, I made myself calm down, reminding myself again that nothing good ever came out of my overreactions. So I kept my mouth shut and listened as Cullen explained all about his problems at work. About how his father and how he requested his help and then about Anais and his need to keep her from screwing up things even more.

By the time he finished explaining things, we were seated on the fancy dark brown leather sofa in Cullen's home office. I could feel his frustration and suddenly I felt horrible for keeping him from his work. I really never stopped to wonder what all those free weekends and early evenings were doing to him and his career. How could I make a big deal out of this when he had just confessed he swallowed his jealousy for the sake of my career?

I wanted to be supportive, but the thought of him leaving for a long period of time filled me with absolute dread. Would we even be able to survive a long distance relationship? Although I loved him more than words could express, I didn't really have a good track record with boyfriends leaving me for London.

_- Aka, Masen?_

_But that was before! This is now. I'm in a grown up relationship, now. I can do this!_

_--But are you really going to let him leave? Especially for London?_

_Yes, I am. Cullen loves me; I have nothing to be afraid off. Besides, this is just a setback. Before I know it he'll be back and hopefully we can start talking about marriage..._

_--Wait! Marriage?_

Knowing my mind was wondering into dangerous territory, I snapped out of my trance and glanced back at Cullen who was looking at me intently.

I smiled softly. "Can I visit you in London?" I asked innocently, my anger hidden.

He smiled brightly and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me towards him. His lips collided with mine in a fierce, passionate kiss. I moaned breathlessly, tangling my tongue with his, deepening our heated kiss. Soon, I lost myself in his embrace. Honestly, I don't know how long our make out session lasted, but before I knew it, Cullen's hips were pressed tightly against mine and my legs were wrapped loosely against him; my dress hiked up to my waist, allowed the bulge on his pants to press right against my center.

"Oh, Bella," Cullen said, finally pulling away from my lips. "Darling, I would take you with me if you'd let me."

Assaulting the supple skin of my neck, Edward became eager - his lips trailed downward, softly nibbling my shoulder before kissing my exposed cleavage. His hands moved from my waist, gliding up the bunched material of my black dress to my covered tits - his fingers ghosting over my hardened nipples before cupping my breasts.

"Edward," I moaned, automatically writhing my hips against his.

"Darling... I need you. Please..." Cullen said, his hypnotizing voice making me forget everything but my need for him.

My body leaned in closer to his, my erratic breath hot on his ear. "Then take me," I whispered.

Cullen's hazel eyes looked up at me with such intensity, that it made my heart pound against my chest. He slowly sat up, unbuttoned his shirt and undressed. I bit my lip as he revealed his toned chest, before lying down on top of me once more.

My hands traveled all over his bare back as we kissed once more, his six-o-clock shadow roughly grazing the soft skin of my chin. I fucking loved the texture, the roughness of his beard combined with the softness of his lips and his warm, wet tongue on my body.

His hands cupped my breasts roughly, before moving his hands towards my back and slowly unzipping the garment. He broke the kiss quickly, and lifted himself just enough to see as his hands moved the thin spaghetti strands downward. My panting hindered the movement of the fabric, but Cullen didn't stop.

I shivered as his fingers slowly caressed the skin on my shoulders and pulled the strands completely off. I shivered as Edward exposed my skin inch by inch to the cold air in the room; it was an erotic contrast against the heat radiating off my skin. Finally, the sweetheart neckline dipped low enough that my breast was revealed to Cullen's lustful mouth. His fingers left the strands, slowly moving across my arm and right above my nipple.

It would've been easy to be embarrassed by the low whimper that escaped my lips as soon as his cold fingers met the delicate rosy skin of my peaks, but I was too far gone to care. His thumbs circled around them, teasing them to the point where they were painfully tight. I was dying for more of his touch, his naked body, but Cullen seemed content with his current exploration.

"God, you are so fucking beautiful," he murmured, his low tenure making my panties embarrassingly wet.

Not giving me any proper time to respond - not that I could actually find the words to properly respond - he hooked his fingers under the fabric of my dress and pulled it downwards - the dress bunched up completely on my waist. I noticed that it was slightly erotic to technically still be dressed yet be so completely exposed. I blushed as I realized how I might look to him.

Cullen groaned as he kissed my neck and left a fiery trail of hot kisses on my breasts, finally reaching my nipples and sucking gently on them. "Oh Darling," Edward growled, "I love it when you blush... you blush all over."

"Edward, please." I wasn't past begging.

"Yes, Bella?" Cullen asked, the teasing bastard. Moving his hand over my thigh and pushing it up against the apex of my legs, I moaned. Cullen continued to tease me over my panties, rubbing his fingers slowly up and down my pussy.

"Fuck me," I whimpered, thrusting my hips up to meet the erotic movement of his fingers.

Cullen complied - well sort of - his hand moved under my panties; his fingers slowly dipped into my pussy, spreading the wetness before moving up and pressing his thumb right against my clit.

"Oh, Edward," I cried out.

"Darling, you're so wet... so wet for me, baby," Cullen said, his voice heavy with desire - his hazel eyes boring into mine. It felt as if he were memorizing my expressions, my moans. If I hadn't been so entranced by his fingers, I would've been self-conscious.

"Baby, I want... I need to feel you," I panted, moving my hips the pace his fingers created.

Cullen said nothing; he simply sat back, his fingers leaving my hot, wet skin - making me groan in frustration. Before I knew it, I was on my knees beside him, helping him unbuckle his belt, harshly unzipping his constricting pants. However, before I could strip Cullen completely, he stopped my movements by wrapping his fingers around my shoulders and pushing me back down onto the leather sofa. I gasped loudly as his hands harshly pulled at my panties; I faintly heard the sound of them ripping but I was way past caring. Then Cullen's hands harshly pulled my legs over his waist, and in one hard thrust he entered me completely. We both groaned at the initial blow; it was hard and forceful and I fucking loved it.

"Are you okay?" Cullen panted.

"Fuck, move! Please move," I cried, desperately moving my hips against his. Cullen moaned, moving with me. In contrast to his initial hardness, he set a slow pace. I followed his lead, enjoying each stoke, each caress and feeling all the love that emanated from the act.

I kissed him, slowly grazing my lips against his and wordlessly trying to show him how much he meant to me. Soon, our pace quickened after each stroke and I hid my face in the crook of his neck, trying to stifle my loud moans. Each stroke getting me closer to the pleasure I craved, and needed.

Cullen shivered as he felt my hot breath on his neck. "Please, Edward... Oh, God," I panted, holding him tighter, my fingers grasping at the skin on his back.

"Oh, Bella," Edward groaned, moving his hands past my waist - where they had been holding me - and grabbed my ass.

Cupping my ass, he pulled me upwards. I let him move my hips, letting myself give into the pleasure we were creating. After a few forceful thrusts, I fell over the edge. As my orgasm flew through my body in hot, white flashes, I felt my cunt tighten against Cullen's hard cock, sending another quick orgasm through my body; it only took two more thrusts before Cullen reached his orgasm.

We collapsed into the sofa, spent and sated. I giggled softly as I felt Cullen kiss my cheek softly.

"I love you," I finally said, my voice quiet.

"I love you too. We'll get through this, Darling. I promise, everything will be okay," Cullen said reassuringly, his fingertips softly caressing my cheek.

I simply nodded and gave him a small smile. He responded by kissing me softly. We stayed on the leather sofa for a while, lying side by side, talking about random things - his work to mine, our friends and what his work in London would be. I felt strangely appeased as he explained that everything would be over soon and that he would pay for me to visit as often as I could. I chastised him about not letting me pay for my own plane tickets, but Cullen wouldn't hear any of it.

Bastard.

We spent the rest of the early morning talking and caressing, and once again I felt reassured that we could survive whatever came. As I snuggled into his arms, and let myself drift to sleep, I knew that we would always end up in each other arms... and that was all that mattered.

**

**Cullen POV**

A couple of weeks passed since the night Bella and I made love in our home office. Surprisingly, Bella had been extremely supportive of my new assignment. After the initial fight, she never complained again about Anais - even if lately it seemed like I was spending more time with my co-worker instead of my girlfriend.

Honestly, I really couldn't express how much I missed my Bella; I was usually out of the house after walking E.J. in the mornings and Bella would still be sleeping. She had tried to wake up as early as I did and even attempted to accompany me in my morning runs, but it was a complete disaster. My love was not a morning person and I had to reassure her that she didn't have to go out of her way to show me she cared. That's when she went back to sleeping in; although I appreciated her attempt, E.J. and I really liked it better when she was in good mood.

Part of me felt guilty at leaving Bella alone most afternoons. Before work got into a tangled mess, we used to have dinner, walk E.J. together afterward - talking about our days before heading home and spending the rest of the evening together. Now, I got home unusually late. I was used to this kind of work-pace before meeting Bella; I thrived when I was in the office. However, knowing Bella was at home waiting for me made it so much fucking harder.

To her credit, Bella was always awake when I got home, usually working on our bed. I would apologize profusely to her, but she would dismiss most saying that her new 'alone time' allowed her to get ahead on a commission that would surely get her the promotion she was craving at work. I tried to believe her, but I could tell she missed our random date nights and spontaneous love making... I knew... because I fucking missed it too.

I sighed, realizing the hardest part was about to come. Currently, Bella was helping me pack for London. I was set to move into one of my father's apartments for the time being, as it was only a few blocks away from his law offices. Anais had traveled back the previous week, prepping everything under my instruction before it was time for me to join her.

The thing that worried me the most was how Bella seemed to retreat into herself these past couple of days. Although my angel put on a brave face and smiled, her eyes held a sadness that mirrored my own and I didn't know how to make it better. We were carefully tiptoeing around the conversation of when she would visit or when exactly I would come back; everything was up in the air at the moment and I hated the uneasiness that settled within me.

"You have everything?" Bella's quiet voice asked, her eyes scanning around the room; I shut the suitcase with a sharp thud.

"I think so," I sighed, putting an arm around her slender shoulders and pressing her body against mine.

Her head settled easily on the crook of my neck, her breath soft against my skin. She wrapped her arms around my waist, her fingers interlocking. We were silent for a moment, enjoying the comfort of one other's presence. After a few moments, the sound of my cab honking interrupted us. I kissed the top of her head, committing to memory the strawberry scent I knew and loved; I would miss it every morning. I quickly chastised myself - this wasn't a goodbye - I would come back soon before I even know it. Everything would go back to normal.

"I should get going," I said, taking her face in my hand and placing a soft kiss upon her lips.

Bella simply nodded give me a diluted smile. "I'll call you at a decent hour," I said, taking her hands and giving them a reassuring squeeze.

"Call me as soon as you land, promise?" she said, her eyes narrowing playfully.

I chuckled. "I will."

I couldn't help but take her into my arms and kiss her once again, this time with passion and need. It was a quick kiss; I didn't want to start anything I couldn't finish. But, I just needed to feel her.

Bella followed me to the porch where the cabbie was impatiently waiting. E.J. ran around us, barking happily and completely oblivious as to what was going on.

After placing my bags into the yellow vehicle, I turned to Bella.

"I'll miss you," she whispered softly, crossing her arms and looking up at me with those wonderful doe eyes of hers.

"I'll be back before you know it." I said playfully, grabbing her by waist and pulling her against me. "Actually, I'm slightly afraid of the mess that will happen with you two without my supervision," I teased.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I promise there will still be a house for you to get back to..." she huffed.

I laughed. "Call me anytime okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Bella said dismissively, a playful smile on her lips.

God knows, I wanted so badly to ravage her right then and there but I knew the cabbie would get much more than he was already getting paid for. Not wanting to drag it out, I disentangled myself from her embrace and said my final goodbye.

Anais seemed to have impeccable timing because as soon as I entered the taxi, she called asking me if I was already at the airport.

"Edward," her melodic voice said cheerily; I wondered what time it over there for her to be calling me. "Oh, good I caught you. Are you already on the airport? I need to talk to you about my conversation with..."

Before letting me answer, she went into a complete speech about the previous day where she had a brief meeting with our defendant. Before I realized what was happening, the taxi was already well on its way and I hadn't had a chance to look back at Bella as the car pulled out. When I looked back, completely ignoring whatever Anais was talking about, we were already on another street and Bella was completely out of my sight.

I tried to suppress the disappointment I felt at not being able to have one last look at my love, but I was unable to do so.

"Anais!" I grumbled into the phone. "We can discuss this when I'm there, okay?" Not waiting for a response, I hung up and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration.

As a lawyer, I knew I had to trust my instincts and follow my gut. I was worried about Bella and our relationship; mostly I was worried she would be lonely or sad or both. But last night, a stupid, _stupid_ idea popped in my head and I wasn't able to let it go.

I needed to make sure there was someone who would look after my Bella, someone who truly cared for her and would tell me if she was really okay.

"Fuck!" I cried, punching the seat next to me. If the cabbie heard me he made no indication.

I knew what I had to do and I knew who could help me... but my plan could either work to my benefit or backfire on me... but... it was worth the risk. I just wanted Bella to be okay while I was away.

Before I lost my nerve, I grabbed my cell phone and cursed myself for the number I just dialed.

"James, I need a favor. It's about Bella."

* * *

K: OH... FUCK.... R&R!!

B: Dun, dun, dun (per Mellissa). Reviews are the like bearded Rob sex! xD


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